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By Thomas Gerbasi - In a boxer’s life there are dreams and then there’s reality. You chase one, while keeping the other at bay for as long as you can, and if they ever intersect, choices must be made. For Danny O’Connor, his dream of chasing a world championship and the reality of raising a family hit the crossroads after a particularly brutal stretch a couple years ago.
Working with renowned trainer Ronnie Shields in Texas, O’Connor was far away from his home in New England, where his wife and young son lived, but to get to the next level of his career, it was the price the three had to pay.
“Basically, I was living there because I was trying to be active, and if you want to be at this level, honestly, you make a lot of sacrifices in life,” O’Connor said. “And unfortunately, the people that mean most to you sometimes have to take a back seat to that.”
In 2013, O’Connor, a promising welterweight, fought five times, winning four, with the only loss a larcenous decision against former world champion Vivian Harris. His biggest fight was outside the ring though, as he tried to keep his family life together any way he could. He tells a story of what went on over one six-week training camp stretch.
“I was driving to the airport in Texas after my Saturday workout with coach Ronnie, flying home to Boston, getting off the train at 12 o’clock at night, getting about two hours with my family and barely even that because (his son) Liam was only three at the time so he couldn’t stay up. Then I would get on the plane Sunday morning at 6am, and fly back to Texas to be in training camp for Monday morning. And I did that for about a month and a half, and that was just to try and save my family, to do both.” [Click Here To Read More]
Working with renowned trainer Ronnie Shields in Texas, O’Connor was far away from his home in New England, where his wife and young son lived, but to get to the next level of his career, it was the price the three had to pay.
“Basically, I was living there because I was trying to be active, and if you want to be at this level, honestly, you make a lot of sacrifices in life,” O’Connor said. “And unfortunately, the people that mean most to you sometimes have to take a back seat to that.”
In 2013, O’Connor, a promising welterweight, fought five times, winning four, with the only loss a larcenous decision against former world champion Vivian Harris. His biggest fight was outside the ring though, as he tried to keep his family life together any way he could. He tells a story of what went on over one six-week training camp stretch.
“I was driving to the airport in Texas after my Saturday workout with coach Ronnie, flying home to Boston, getting off the train at 12 o’clock at night, getting about two hours with my family and barely even that because (his son) Liam was only three at the time so he couldn’t stay up. Then I would get on the plane Sunday morning at 6am, and fly back to Texas to be in training camp for Monday morning. And I did that for about a month and a half, and that was just to try and save my family, to do both.” [Click Here To Read More]
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